Olympics 2012 Schedule: Day 12 Top Athletes, Events, TV Info & More

There are some serious stakes on the line Wednesday as the major events of the London Olympics begin to reach their final stages.

The headliner on Day 12 will be the All-American gold medal match in women’s volleyball. Everyone expected Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh to be in position to win their third-straight gold medal, but it's Jennifer Kessy and April Ross who have shocked the world. They defeated the No. 1 ranked Brazilian team and enter their final match of the Olympics with absolutely nothing to lose.

The knockout stage of men’s basketball kicks off as well, with the Americans taking on Australia.  

With gold medals to hand out in track and field, diving, equestrian, table tennis and wrestling, there are a ton of events that will be ending on Wednesday.

Here is a full rundown of the T.V. schedule with the must-watch athletes to follow.

Check out NBC's full Day 12 TV schedule here.

Event Info *All times ET 

Beach Volleyball: Women’s final and bronze medal matches  

TV: 3-4 p.m. (NBC), 9-12 a.m. (NBC Primetime)

Boxing: Men’s light flyweight, light welterweight and light heavyweight quarterfinals

TV: 3-4 a.m. (CNBC), 1-2:15 p.m. (NBC SN), 5-8 p.m. (CNBC)

Canoe/Kayak: Men’s K-1 1000 and K-2 1000, C-1 1000 and women’s K-4 500

TV: 1:45-2:15 p.m. (NBC)

Cycling: Men’s BMX qualifying

TV: 5-5:30 p.m. (NBC)

Diving: Women’s final

TV: 9-12 a.m. (NBC Primetime)

Equestrian: Individual jumping final

TV: 11-11:45 a.m. (NBC)

Field Hockey: Women’s elimination

TV: Netherlands vs. New Zealand 2:15-3 p.m. (NBC SN)

Handball: Quarterfinals

TV: 6-7:45 a.m. (NBC SN)

Men’s Basketball: Quarterfinals

TV: Russia vs. Lithuania 9-11:15 a.m. (NBC SN), France vs. Spain 11:15-1:30 p.m. (NBC SN), Brazil vs. Argentina 3-5:15 p.m. (NBC SN), America vs. Australia 5:15-7:30 p.m. (NBC SN)

Men’s Volleyball: Knockout round

TV: 9-10:45 a.m. (MSNBC), 11-12:45 p.m. (NBC), 2:40-4 p.m. (MSNBC), 4:30-6 p.m. (MSNBC)

Table Tennis: Finals

TV: 7:45-9 a.m. (NBC SN), China vs. South Korea 1-1:30 p.m. (MSNBC)

Track and Field: Women’s 200, 400 hurdles, Long jump, Men’s 100 hurdles

TV: 11:45-12 p.m. (NBC), 2:15-3 p.m. (NBC), 4:30-5 p.m. (NBC), 9-12 a.m. (NBC Primetime)

Water Polo: Elimination round

TV: 10:45-12 p.m. (MSNBC), 12-1 p.m. (MSNBC), 1:30-2:40 p.m. (MSNBC), 4-5 p.m. (NBC)

Wrestling: Women’s freestyle final in 48kg and 63 kg

TV: 4-5 p.m. (MSNBC)

Athletes to Watch

April Ross and Jennifer Kessy

The pair has only lost three sets in the duration of these Olympics and has looked every bit like the team who could finally beat the all-mighty Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh combo.

Their talents play off each other beautifully, allowing them to become the hottest team in the tournament. They have the skill, size and mental makeup to pull off a shocking upset in Primetime.

This is going to be a wild match, and the only outcome we know for sure is that America will be winning both gold and silver.

Carmelita Jeter

Jeter, along with fellow Americans Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross, will be competing against Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown in what is arguably the most thrilling event remaining in track and field on the women’s side.  

Jeter won her qualifying heat with a time of 22.65 seconds, which was just a tad faster than Felix’s 22.7 despite pulling up towards the finish line.

Despite residing at the age of 32, the Los Angeles native continues to lower her best marks and looks to be a serious threat to her teammates to win gold.

Netherlands Women’s Field Hockey

I’m grouping the whole team in here because all of them deserve credit.

They were a perfect 5-0 in group play and are the defending champions. The No. 1 ranked team will face New Zealand on Wednesday in a match they should win by two goals. They are the cream of the crop by far.

While field hockey may not be your thing, I suggest tuning in just to watch these graceful athletes in action. Well, and for this reason.  

Follow Eric Ball on Twitter.